Tarun Karthick
Campbell Bay, 11 July 2022
A stretch of the High Tension Aerial Bunched Cable from 10 Km to 24 Km running parallel to the North-South Road of Great Nicobar is responsible for sleepless nights and unproductive days for the residents of three revenue villages Laxmi Nagar, Gandhi Nagar and Shastri Nagar.
The residents recently had to bear three days of frequent electricity interruption partly due to inclement weather and mostly due to the old and tattered cable.
Mr. Prahlad Singh, Pradhan, Laxmi Nagar Panchayat informed that it all started on the 6th of March 2022, the day of the polls for Panchayat Elections 2022. He added ‘Just as the ballot box was being sealed, the power went off and the trouble of the residents started.’
Electricity Department works 24X7 at Campbell Bay and provides the best services to the residents with the limited manpower they have. There is a severe shortage of staff in the department, but there has been no deficiency in service.
A stretch of about 14 Kms of HT ABC Cable which runs parallel to the North-South Road needs urgent replacement to provide uninterrupted electricity to the residents.
Mr. Prahlad Singh has recently written a letter to the Hon’ble Lt. Governor informing him about the problems being faced by the residents. Mr. Prahlad informed that the only solution to the problem is to replace the old cable running parallel to North-South Road from 8 Km to 35 Km.
Mr. Prahlad also mentioned that a Mini Power Generator is available at Gandhi Nagar Village which is lying unused for several years. He added that the power generator was functioning smoothly, but due to the transfer of technical staff, the generator is no longer being utilised.
The power generator installed at Gandhi Nagar was used to supply electricity to three revenue villages. The generator was sufficient for fulfilling the power requirement of the villagers during faults in the cable carrying electricity from Campbell Bay.
Mr. Prahlad Singh requested the Hon’ble Lt. Governor to intervene in the issue so that people can get relief in the future.